The Hero's Reward
by No Sweeter Song
Summary: Jack Heart heard in Alice's world that a hero should always be rewarded.  And as much as it pains him to do so, Hatter did save his kingdom, after all.  The final step is the hardest thing he's had to do so far, but it'll shape Hatter's life forever.


"It's a summons, Harbinger!" Charlie announced, clutching the parchment in his hand quite dramatically. As always, he had a theatrical tone to his voice as he came marching into the camp, his white tunic whiter than anything out there should be. He waved the paper in his hand with a flourish.

Hatter rolled his eyes, really pretty annoyed. It had been a long trip back to the camp. Charlie, though basically insane, had invited him to stay with him till he was on his feet again. The tea shop was not only ruined, it was likely to soon be made illegal by Good King Jack. So home, at that point, was a camp where the knights used to serve proudly. And now? It consisted of him, a crazy old knight, and constant, lingering reminders of Alice.

What he really wanted to do was curl up in the hammock under the coat Alice had borrowed and sleep for a week, letting his body and his head heal. But now Charlie was marching around, declaring a summons had been sent. "Sorry, what?" he mumbled, lifting his hat from its position over his eyes just enough to see the old man more clearly.

"A summons! From our soon-to-be crowned king!" Again, he waved the quite official looking parchment, this time right in Hatter's face.

Groaning, Hatter rolled over, turning away. "Then I'd suggest you go. Wouldn't want to keep Jack Prat waiting." Had that slipped out? Oh, yeah. It did. Oops. Ah, well, it wasn't like his dear majesty was around anyway.

But then Charlie spoke in that tone that always made Hatter think the old man wasn't quite as crazy as he let them all think. "Ah, but it isn't for me. It's for you."

That was just... But why would he... Hatter was so surprised he nearly jumped up and, in the process, went tumbling out of the hammock. It would've been uncomfortable on the best of days, but after several hours with Dee and Dum and Mad March on top of that? Admittedly, it downright hurt. "Ow," he muttered, getting to his feet and subtly rubbing at his tailbone. "Me? What's he want with me?"

"Don't know," Charlie said mysteriously. "It would be highly improper to read someone else's royal summons."

"But my regular post is okay, I'm sure," Hatter replied, but there was no real fight in his voice. He merely took the parchment from Charlie and unrolled it in order to read. It was possibly the most vague legal message Hatter had ever received. And, as someone working both sides, most of his letters were quite vague. It simply said his presence was required - not requested, required - at the castle. "He couldn't have asked me this, I don't know, before I left?" he blurted with a groan. Not like he had a captive audience. Charlie was already singing to himself and gathering items for dinner.

With an incredibly grumpy sigh, Hatter grabbed his jacket and hat and attempted to get Charlie's attention. "Oi. Mind if I borrow Gweniviere again?" Charlie barely gave a nod before starting his own little slow dance with Arthur. Hatter only lifted his eyebrows before saddling the poor mare one more time. "Sorry girl," he murmured. "I'll bet you're pretty tired, too." He liked horses. Horses made sense. People? Not as much. "Don't wait up, mate," he called to Charlie, who basically ignored him, before mounting the horse and clucking to her. Yet another trip to the castle. His, what, fourth in the last two days? Brilliant.

* * *

At first, the Ten of Spades didn't want to let him in. He supposed he couldn't really blame him. The last time they'd seen each other hadn't exactly been comfortable for anyone. They'd never exactly gotten on before, either. Hatter had to pull out the parchment, wrinkled and faded from the trip to the castle, for Ten to even consider letting him in.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only about ten minutes, Ten rolled his eyes and escorted him down the halls towards the King's chamber. He heard the prim and proper, well-educated voice of one Prince...err, King Jack Heart come through the door at Ten's rapid knock. "Enter." It sounded so...simple. And, if Hatter was being the annoyed and jealous man he could be, pompous.

Ten entered, nodding him to follow. Hatter was torn between curiousity and boredom as he entered the private chambers of the king. As he often did, he took just a brief moment to marvel that he, the kid who'd been no more important than your local sewer rat, was even allowed in the castle, let alone the king's personal office. But then his eyes focused on the new king, every perfect blond hair in place, his suit looking like he'd spent his entire life being pampered and coddled. And really, except for a foray into the revolution, he had been. And Hatter had to try really, really hard not to hate that.

"You rang?" he asked in his most sarcastic tone, crossing his arms in front of him. They'd see if he was as bad as his mother about wanting to make some heads roll. By the time Hatter was done, if he still had his head attached to his body, Wonderland was in good hands.

But Jack took it in stride. "Oh, Hatter, you made it. You can leave now," he told the Ten of Spades who looked more than a bit wary. "Your Majesty, I really don't think that's wise."

Jack merely lifted his eyebrows, which wasn't really much compared to Hatter's glare. "You're going to challenge the king?" he commented, somewhat amused, to be honest. "Really? You already searched me, mate, you know I'm clean."

Ten's eyes narrowed. "Right. Because no one's ever seen you maim a man with nothing but your fist." Hatter widened his eyes innocently, trying to force the smirk off of his face. So what if he had a point?

"I think I can manage," Jack assured, looking bemused more than anything. Though Hatter knew he could win one-on-one against the monarch, he'd seen the prince in a fight. And, admittedly, he also knew who'd taught him to fight. The Queen's spoiled son might not have been able to take him, but Alice's martial arts student could at least pose a challenge. Still, he turned and shot Ten a smug look that said quite clearly, 'go'.

Once the Card was gone, Jack waved to the large chair in front of him. To Hatter, it reminded him a bit too much of an inquisition, thanks. "I'll stand," he said simply, folding his arms in front of him. "What did you want?" Jack seemed to be studying him, and a more self-conscious man might have withered under that practiced, royal stare. But Hatter met the pale man's eyes, lifting his eyebrows a bit in an expectant gesture. "Before we die of old age, yeah?"

Finally, Jack leaned back in his chair, watching Hatter all the more. "Just trying to see what she... Ah, never mind. You let her go."

Well, that hadn't been what he'd been expecting at all. "Um. Alice?" Obviously. "Of course I did. She wasn't my prisoner." Sure, some of the things he'd done in the past had been horrible, but he'd never resulted to kidnapping Oysters. That was a Heart thing.

To his surprise, Jack rolled his eyes. "You really are daft." The king leaned forward, folding his arms on the large desk.

"You know, I'd really hate to have to ruin that pretty face of yours before your coronation-" Hatter began, and was even more surprised when Jack only laughed.

The fair-haired man only lifted a hand, shaking his head with amusement. "Enough. Never mind that. I just wondered why you didn't ask her to stay."

Though that comment didn't surprise him quite as much, it still took some thought on his part. "She has a life back in her world. A mum to go back to, friends, a job." More than he could give her in Wonderland, that was for sure. "Plus, it's still not safe here, really. Your mum had some loyal followers who won't be pleased with her. She'd already been through enough." Why he was spilling his guts to the queen's son, he'd never know. The queen's son and the prince of ruining potentially brilliant moments with one Alice Hamilton. He was still a bit bitter over that.

Jack seemed to be thinking, and he didn't reply right away. When he did, his tone was quiet, almost sad. "So you did it for her, then." It was a statement, not a question, but Hatter nodded an affirmative answer anyway. "But you didn't go with her."

"She didn't ask," Hatter answered simply. That should've been obvious. "I saw..." What was he supposed to say? He saw her all wrapped up in her handsome prince? "I saw the two of you. If she didn't stay for you, there was no way she was going to stay for me. Or bring me along."

The king's face grew surprisingly sympathetic. "I asked her to marry me. To rule Wonderland as my queen."

He couldn't control it. Hatter went visibly pale at the words. It felt as if his stomach had dropped into his feet, or maybe it was his heart. It was a sensation he wasn't exactly used to so he couldn't say for sure. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he'd ever let his heart rest so much on the line until that moment. Or rather, until that girl. And it was just then hitting him. So at first it didn't register when Jack continued with, "She turned me down flat."

Hatter blinked several times, trying to take it in. "What?"

It sounded a bit pitiful, but Jack gave a soft laugh just the same. "Oh, she said she'd changed, had other priorities. Something along those lines. At the end of the day, I knew. It was you." At Hatter's stunned expression, Jack nodded. "I'm afraid so. Trust me, I'm not saying this to be nice to you. I'd rather her be with most anyone else."

"That's lovely, coming from you," he retorted, grateful just to get the words out. He was still somewhat frozen just from knowing what she'd done. And why Jack thought she'd done it.

"But," Jack continued, as if Hatter hadn't spoken at all, "you saved her life. You helped save my kingdom. And for that, I have to be grateful."

A part of Hatter knew how difficult it was for Jack to speak those words. It wasn't a 'thank you', but it was a kind word spoken in gratitude and he supposed he should be pleased with that. He still didn't understand the point of him being there, however. "Alright," he agreed, refusing to give too much of himself away. His wary and suspicious nature born of years of playing double agent left him waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"One thing I learned in the Oysters' world is, every hero deserves his reward." Jack pulled open a drawer to his desk and seemed to be rummaging around for something. When his hand returned to the top of the wooden surface, it was with a set of keys, far more shiny and smooth than any they had in Wonderland.

A twinge of knowing began to develop somewhere deep inside him, but Hatter still looked at Jack blankly when the keys were slid across the desk towards him. "What are those?"

With a wistful expression, Jack only shrugged. "These? These are the keys to my flat in New York. In the Oysters' world." There was a brief silence between them. "In Alice's world."

That made sense he supposed, but Hatter was still mostly confused. "You still have them?" It seemed a stupid question, as they were right in front of him, but it was safer than asking 'what the hell tea have you been drinking?' It seemed too...strange.

"Your reward, Hatter. You kept the Resistance fed and taken care of and supplied with information. You kept Alice safe. And you brought down my mother's reign. These keys are your reward." Apparently, Hatter still looked clueless, or at least shell-shocked, as Jack continued. "I paid the lease for a full year. There's still six months left. They may as well get used."

It finally hit him, but Hatter didn't look any less stunned. "You could go back, you know. You could..." he swallowed hard, "You could go back to her."

Jack's lips pursed and Hatter saw something dark flash behind otherwise neutral eyes. "I could. And I might even win her back. But right now, her heart's with you. I know her well enough to know that. This is my world, that's hers. The two can't ever mix. But you..." He paused, looking like he might want to reconsider what he was about to say. But then he spoke anyway. "What do you have here? No family, no shop, and the Resistance isn't really needed anymore, is it? There's nothing stopping you."

For a long time, Hatter simply stared at the keys on the desk's surface. A small part of him wanted to be angry over Prince Prat's words. But the truth was, he was right. Hatter had nothing. No job, no home really. And certainly no one who'd miss him if he was gone. His life had consisted of survival, not settling. Dodo had tried to kill him, the royal family and their servants certainly wouldn't be bothered. What did he have to lose?

But the boy from the streets still lay under the surface and he studied Jack intently. "What's in it for you?" he questioned, completely reminiscent of the young boy he'd once been. Suspicious of anything that was given for free.

For his part, the king didn't look that surprised at the question. The Hearts rarely gave without receiving. It was his mother's legacy, sure, but he was bound to be expected to continue it. "I just want Alice happy. She deserves it, especially after all that she went through here." His tone lowered a bit. "She's a brilliant woman. No one should have had to have done what all she did. These weren't her people to save, but she did it anyway. Do I like that it was you she fell for in the process?" With a scoffing laugh, he shook his head. "No, of course not. But I think you stand a chance at making her happy. You're what she wants now. And I can help."

Hatter didn't even realize he was shaking until he reached out to retrieve the keys. His hand quivered and he gulped. To be honest, he'd never been more scared in his life. He'd had knives held to him, he'd been in more than his share of street fights, he'd nearly been caught in his double life more than once. But nothing scared him more than making this first step towards an entirely new life. A life he still felt he didn't truly deserve, despite Jack's ramblings about rewards.

"Is it completely weird there?" he asked suddenly, drawing his hand back.

Jack laughed, shrugging his shoulders in a completely non-royal way. It actually set Hatter slightly at ease and his own posture relaxed a little. "Not completely, but it isnt here. You'll want to tell people you're from England. Don't ask," he added, holding up a hand in protest. "Never quite figured out their geography. Multiple languages, so many people... It's strange. But remember, the mirror works both ways. You're welcome back whenever. And that goes for the both of you."

With a sense of finality, Hatter reached out, grabbing the keys in hand before he could change his mind. "I don't know what to say," he admitted. "Thank you seems so... Well, it doesn't seem like enough."

Jack sat silent for a moment. Slowly, a bittersweet smile crossed his face. "Just take care of her. Now go before you can rethink it."

Or before he could change his mind, Hatter figured, but he gave one quick nod. "I plan to." And before either of them could change their minds, he hurried off to the Looking Glass.


End file.
